


Fine

by beriallen



Category: Korean Actor RPF, Running Man RPF
Genre: F/M, Monday Couple
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-16
Updated: 2018-04-16
Packaged: 2019-04-23 16:02:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,603
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14336052
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/beriallen/pseuds/beriallen
Summary: After the public finally found out about her past relationship with Gary, Song Jihyo was trying to make sense of her feelings when she suddenly received an unexpected phone call.





	Fine

_I remember that time you told me you said_  
_"Love is touching souls"_  
_Surely you touched mine_  
_'Cause part of you pours out of me_  
_In these lines from time to time_

\- _A Case of You_ , James Blake

 

 

 

 

She used to make up several scenarios in her head, wondering how she would react if the public found out about her and  _him._

One time she pictured herself crying all day, just like when she was let go from her only steady job without any notice. In another time, she saw herself getting angry. Sometimes she imagined locking herself inside her room, refusing to see anyone. 

When it  _did_ happen, though, she was surprised to find that none of those things came to reality. 

The news broke in early morning on a Friday, which was her day off. Naturally, Song Jihyo was still asleep. 

She woke up to 14 missed calls and 33 Kakao messages, and seeing the notifications left a bad taste in her mouth. There was a memory of another morning, of a different set of missed calls, of her reading articles with her name in the headlines, of her being half-awake and thinking hopelessly, "I don't have a job now."

For a moment, Jihyo considered going back to sleep. She took a quick look at the notifications again just to make sure that yes, there were 14 calls, and most of them came from her manager. At this rate, she would get another one in any second, anyway; she could just wait for her phone to ring again while lying in her bed.

But the thing about waking up to soul-crushing news was, since she already lived through it at least once, she was quite certain she could face another one. Maybe. Maybe not. There was only one way to find out. 

Jihyo dialed the number belonging to her manager, who picked up after only one ring. "Your photos," her manager said, as a way of greeting. 

When it  _did_ happen, when the paparazzi photographs  _did_ start tocirculate on the internet, she didn't cry, get mad or hide in her apartment. There was a certain emotion that washed over her, for sure. A slow thinker that she was, she couldn't immediately describe it, but she knew it was neither anger or confusion. As her manager began to ramble on about an official statement and whatnot, she found herself reminiscing about the beach in her hometown and how she would stand in the sand, waiting for the waves to crash against her. That feeling when the water finally hit her legs and splashed onto her shoulders, her face, her hair— What was growing within her at that moment was something resembling it; something akin to relief.

"Whatever Gary oppa decides, I'll go along with it," she said suddenly, before her manager could finish. Her voice cracked as his name slipped out of her lips, as if it had turned rusty over time. Ever since their love got lost, she had been keeping his name in the back of her throat; not swallowed, yet never spat out. 

"He's the one with family, so it's only right," Jihyo continued, and the conversation ended not long afterward, with her manager talking about setting up an emergency meeting with "his side."

The truth was, there had been other photographs. For years, different news portals had reached out to both his side and hers about the countless pictures snapped secretly in front of his apartment, or her apartment, or a random park. Her old and also current companies had paid their fair share of  _hush money_ , and even promised the reporters an exclusive if a wedding took place (a wedding did take place, of course; just not for her). Yet, most of the times, the cash was pulled out of Gary oppa's own pocket. She remembered complaining about it, telling him to talk to her agency and probably split the expenses? He just gave a shrug. "I'm doing this to protect you, anyway, Jihyo-yah."

Her phone was still warm in her grasp as she glanced at her bedroom door. It was quiet beyond the closed door, which could only mean one thing: Either her parents were still asleep, or the news had not been covered by her mother's favorite morning TV show. 

She looked down at her phone again, and realized that her thumb was hovering over the web browser icon on the screen. She tapped on it softly and the home page of the popular news portal loaded automatically. And there it was, a thumbnail that contained the source of this ruckus; she didn't even have to scroll down to find it. She clicked it and waited as another page opened. When the headline appeared, she let out a breath she didn't realize she was holding, and began to read.

 

_Breaking: Tragic_ _Monday Couple Love Story_ _!_ _Song_ _Jihyo_ _+_ _Gary, Old Dating Photos Surface!_

_This morning, it has been revealed that actress Song Jihyo and rapper Gary had once been in a romantic relationship. The pair met when they were working together as cast members of SBS variety show,_ Running Man _, and stole the hearts of viewers with their love line. It is said that they gradually developed real feelings for each other and  continued dating for a brief time even after Gary left the show in 2016._

_The report came out after four old photos of the couple while out on a date surfaced. In the photos, taken at Hangang in Spring 2016, Song Jihyo and Gary, or the Monday Couple as they're usually called, are seen to stroll along the river with their arms around each other. Although both of them were wearing masks that hid half of their faces at the time, their distinct features still make them identifiable._

__

_It is not exactly clear how long the couple dated or when they broke up. In 2017, Gary shocked everyone by announcing his sudden wedding to a non-celebrity on Instagram. He and his wife have one son together._

__

_Previously, a photo taken by a_ Running Man  _crew member and published on Facebook in late 2015 was discovered accidentally by fans and shared widely on various news outlets. The photo in question featured the cast and crew of_ Running Man _in a year-end party, and Song Jihyo was spotted to sit on the lap of while hugging Gary. At that time, both sides denied they were dating_

____

_Both Song Jihyo's and Gary's agencies have stated that they are currently checking with their respective artists._

____

____

____

Jihyo nodded her head appreciatively. "Not bad," she thought. 

____

Below the article was the "evidence photos," as reporters would say. The caption underneath the first one said, "Actress Song Jihyo and Rapper Gary Enjoyed a Hangang Date in Summer 2016," and Jihyo smiled in spite of herself.

____

Even in the low-quality photos, she could spot the crinkles around her own eyes. She could see, despite the black mask that covered the lower part of Gary oppa's face, his cheek muscles lift upward, the way they always did whenever he grinned too widely. She hadn't forgotten the jokes he told her that day.

____

Never ask her how it all went wrong.  She herself had been hoping to find the answer in the lyrics of his songs. 

____

Jihyo scrolled down and stumbled upon the comment section, and she would be lying if she said she wasn't curious. All throughout her career, everyone around her had warned her not to pay attention to comments. Then again, they also warned her not to fall in love with her co-stars, and she still did the exact opposite.

____

But a call from an unknown number prevented her from contemplating any further. 

____

There was something about the phone number that made her tilt her head. It looked as if the digits had been carefully picked out to serve a purpose. She knew only one person who would go to great lengths to find meanings in everything, even in a phone number. 

____

Her heart rate quickened and her blood rushed; she would blame adrenaline for her actions from then onward. Her fingers moved before her mind could catch up, and she answered the call. "Hello?"

____

A beat passed. And then, "Jihyo-yah?"

____

In the back of her mind, there was a memory of a conversation she had with Haha oppa and Jaesuk oppa. The former was upset, babbling about not getting invited to his Gary hyung's wedding. "I thought I was his best friend," he whined. "But he doesn't even want to tell me his new number!" Jaesuk oppa patted him on the shoulder, and said, "When he wants you to find him, he'll reach out to you."  

____

And here he was, reaching out.

____

Jihyo swallowed. "Hello," she said, "Gary oppa."

____

Recognizing his voice still came easy to her, just like back then, when she could always identify him only by his gait. 

____

"Jihyo-yah," he repeated. He was quiet afterward, as if he was buying time. When he finally resumed, it was not before he took a long breath that she could hear so clearly over the phone. "I trust you've seen the news?" 

____

She knitted her brows at the tang of formality in his words. "Uh-huh," Jihyo murmured her confirmation, and immediately regretted it. After his properly chosen sentence, the reply she gave him seemed too casual. Too intimate.

____

For some reason, he let out a low snicker at that. "Figured!" he said, then. "I was waiting until after your usual wake up time before calling."

____

She wished he hadn't say that.

____

"I wish you didn't say that," she muttered under her breath.

____

"Sorry," he grunted, and Jihyo had to take a sharp intake of breath at the normalcy of it all. There was a time when Jaesuk oppa said that the more she scowled at a person, the more she cared about them. Kwangsoo joked about it once. "Sorry, hyung," he told Gary oppa at the time. "That means Jihyo noona loves me more."

____

Jihyo shut her eyes and shook her head lightly, if only to throw off the memories. "My company will contact yours," she continued shortly. 

____

His reply was quick at first. "Oh, I know they will. I just think it's right to tell you first—" At that, he paused all of a sudden, and Jihyo could picture him, rolling his lips inward while he mulled his words over.  She thought she heard the sound of the wheels of an office chair as they rolled on the floor, and she wondered if he was calling from inside his studio. 

____

A loud sigh coming from the other end jolted Jihyo out of her thoughts. "Jihyo-yah," Gary oppa said, then. "I want to tell them the truth." He didn't wait for her response and proceeded, "I don't know why the reporters didn't contact any of us about the photos and asked for payment like they used to, but now that it's out in the open, I want to let  _it_  go."

____

Back then, whenever the two of them happened to be in the same press conference or interview, Gary oppa would be the one who stepped up and took the reins, answering every question about their relationship—because there was always at least one question about their relationship—without really answering the question. She might be the actress, but she needed her script to act; Gary oppa, though, was ever the lyricist, and words seemed to flow out of him more naturally. He would twist his replies with such finesse, giving the reporters what they needed to hear, yet never actually revealing everything. She had to admit, there was always a sense of thrill that raced into her every time he did that; it was as if there was an inside joke that only both of them understood. 

____

Listening to him talk on the phone just then reminded her of those times at the press conference or interview. The difference was, this time, she wasn't in on the joke.

____

"Sure," Jihyo managed after a while, and informed him about her phone call with her manager earlier. "Because you have a family—" 

____

She trailed off at that, falling into silence she didn't anticipate before. If it had thrown Gary oppa off in any way, though, he didn't show it, as he spoke of nothing either. 

____

The stillness prolonged itself, and Jihyo broke it before it got too comfortable. "Is she," Jihyo started, and coughed. "Is your wife," she continued, then, slowly, "okay with it?"

____

A slight squeak that she heard over the phone let her know that he was leaning back in his chair. "Of course," he said afterward. "She's always known about you, anyway."

____

Jihyo shifted in her seat. "She's so cool."

____

"She is!"

____

And there it was, the reason the reporters stopped trying to reach him and "ask for payment," as he said. It was in his instant reply, it was in the lilt in his voice. Even the reporters knew: He had no interest in protecting her any longer. 

____

There was a twinge in her chest that left as soon as it came. 

____

Jihyo blinked. "Well, then—"

____

"I watched your movie," he blurted out, cutting her off all of a sudden. "I see you a lot on TV too these days."

____

The fact that they had resorted to using small talk to get out of awkwardness should probably weary her, but his familiar randomness made her smile to herself instead. 

____

"I really like your latest song," she replied.

____

"I saw the article about your next drama," he said. "Congrats!"

____

Jihyo laughed softly at that. "Thanks. I may have another movie coming up."

____

"Well," he muttered. "I guess it's a good thing, isn't it?"

____

She wasn't sure what he meant by that, biting her lower lip to keep herself from asking anything. It took him a while before he realized she wasn't going to respond, and when he did, he resumed, "Well, anyway—"

____

But it was her turn to cut him off. "Gary oppa," she began, but stopped at once. There were more ways than one to complete the sentence, and judging from his sudden quietness, he probably knew it as well as her. 

____

In the past, she thought if everyone found out about her and him  _together_ , she would either cry or get angry or shut everyone out. When all was said and done, though, there was an entirely different feeling that settled into her.

____

She took a breath, and continued, "Please call Haha oppa once in a while. He misses you."

____

A chuckle. "I will."

____

And it was the last thing he said to her on that phone call before he bade her goodbye, and she him.

____

Jihyo walked to her dressing table and put her phone on it, wondering what she should do next. She should probably stay home to avoid any reporter, which was okay by her. She was searching for her hair tie, which she threw somewhere behind her makeup pouch the previous night, when the delightful smell of breakfast made her stomach rumble. That gave her pause; that meant her parents were definitely awake. 

____

As if on cue, there came a knocking on her bedroom door. Jihyo listened to her mother crying out her name urgently, before asking in a softer tone, "Are you alright?" Jihyo sighed at that, because that question meant her mother had heard the news. 

____

Yet somehow, it was fine.

____

Jihyo called out to her mother, then, making sure she was loud enough for her mother to hear from behind the wooden door.

____

"I'm fine."

____

____

____

____

____

____

The end.

____


End file.
